Mail-bag.



Patented Mar. 2o, |900.y vA. wl FRANK.

MAIL BAG;

(Application filed .I une 6, 1899.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2V (No Model.)

NTTED STATES PATENT FFTCE. i

ALONZO w. rRANK, Or JAMEsTOwN, Nnw YORK.

MAIL-BAd;

sPEciFIcATIoN forming part of Letters Patent No. 645,799, dated Maren2o, 1 9oo.

' Application tiled J' une 6, 1899. Serial No. 7191609. (No model.)

To all wtom it 11i/Cty @ongerief Beit known that I, ALONZO W. FRANK, acitizen of the United States, residing at Jamestown, in the county ofChautauqua and State of New York, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Mail-Bags, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to mailbags, and particularly to the means forclosing and fastening the mouths of the same; and it has for its objectto provide novel, simple, and strong means for fastening the mouth ofthe bag in a secure manner and which may be manipulated with ease andrapidity to eithery close or open the bag and in which also thefastening-strap is effectually concealed from View.

It also has for its object to provide such a device with apertured T-headed fasteners that serve when the bag is unfastened as a means forsuspending the bag in an open position from the rods or hooks usuallyemployed in connection with the racks used for holding the bags whilethe mail-matter is being distributed into the bags.

To these ends my invention consists in the features and in theconstruction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafterdescribed, and particularly pointed out in the claims following thedescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, formingapart of this specification, wherein-- Figure 1 is a detail View of myimproved mail-bag open. tional View of the end of the bag, the partsbeing shown closed. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view thereof.liig.l 4 is a detail View of the strap. Fig. 5 is a detail view of oneof the locking-studs. Fig. 6 is a similar View of one of thestrap-clips, and Figs. 7 and 8 are detail views of modified means forsecuring the strap movably in place.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 indicates a mail-bag ofordinary and usual construction, and secured to the rear upper edgethereof is a liap 2 for closing the bag-mouth. The lower portion of theflap2 is preferably provided with end. extensions 3, which are turnedaround the edges of the bag, as shown, and are secured to the ends of astrip l, attached to the front edge of the bag-mouth. The flap 2 isadapted to fold over the mouth of the bag and close it in the usualmanner.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sec-v Projecting inward from the inner sideofflap 2 is a series of studs 5. As shown, each of said studs comprises afiat shank 6, prof vided with an apertured head 7 at one endand at itsother end with arms 8 8, extending in opposite directions to the shank 6and at right angles thereto, the extremities of the arms 8 being alsobent at right angles to form rivets 9, The studs are secured to the flapby passing the rivets 9 through the iiap and through washers 10,arranged on the opposite sides of the flap, and then upsetting or heading down the ends of the rivets. As shown, the studs are arranged in arow or in alinement with one another. Formed in the lower portion of theHap 2 are slots 1l, thatregister with corresponding slots 12, formed inthe strip 4, and when the iiap is folded down over the mouth of the bagto close the latter the studs 5 project through said slots.

Disposed on the inner side of the lower por; tion of the iiap 2 is astrap 13, arranged to slide in guides attached to the iiap, ashereinafter described. The strap 13 may be formed either of leather ormetal, but in the present instance l have shown it formed of leather.tervals are keyhole-slots, each comprising a narrow longitudinal slit 14of just a sufficient widthto receive the flat shank 6 of one of thefastening-studs and terminating at one end in a transverse slot 15,corresponding in size and shape to the slots 1l and 12, before referredto. The strap is movably held in place by guides in the followingmanner:

The numeral 16 indicates a metallic guide clip, consisting of a metallicrod slightly longer than the width of the strip and bent up at rightangles at its opposite ends. The extremities of the bent portions of therod are reduced, as at 17, to form rivets, thereby forming shoulders 18on such bentportions. The guide-clips are secured to the flap 2 bypassing the rivets 17 through said flap and through washers 19, arrangedon each side of the iiap, the shoulders 18 abutting the washers on theinner sides of the iiap, after which the ends of the rivets are upset orheaded down against the outer washers. As shown,

the clips are' arranged in pairs, there being one such pair for eachslot 11, the clips of each pair being arranged on the opposite sidesFormed in the strap at suitable inl IOO of one of the slots. The strap13 is passed through the clips 16 and is free to be drawn back and forththerethrough. The end portions of the strap extend through verticalslits or slots provided in the opposite edges of the bag, as at 20, and,as here shown, these slits or slots are formed in the turned or lappededges of the flap part 2. One projecting end of the strap is folded uponitself and riveted to form a stop, as at 21, on one end of the strapoutside the bag, that operates against one slitted edge part 20 of thebag to prevent the withdrawal of the strap. To the opposite projectingend of the strap is secured a hasp plate or cap 22, in which and thestrap is formed a longitudinal slot 23, so that when the bag is closed astaple 24, secured to the outside of the Hap 2, is adapted to pass :andbe locked. To accomplish this, the end of the strap carrying thehasp-plate 22 is adapted to bend around the edge of the closed bag toengage the staple 24 on the outside of the bag-iap 2, as clearly shown.

Riveted to the back of the strap is a series of wear and stifeningmetallic plates 25. The plates are disposed in such manner that eachplate will surround one of the slots I5 and one end of the slit 14,formed in the adjacent keyhole-slot, the plates being cut away orpunched out to register with said slotted and slitted portions of thestrap. The purpose of the plates is to prevent wear of the strap and tostiften and strengthen the latter at those points where the headed studsengage it.

The operation of my improved fastening device is as follows: Let it beassumed that the bag is open and the strap isin such position that theslots 15 are in register with the slots 11 in the flap. Then in order toclose and fasten the bag it is only necessary to fold the flap over themouth of the bag, when the studs 5 will pass through the slots l] and 12and through the slots 15 in the strap, the heads 7 projecting throughthe slots 11 of the flap, after which the strap is pulled lengthwise asfar as the stop 21 will permit, thus causing the slitted portions 14 ofthe strap to engage the flat Shanks of the studs and the under side oftheir heads' 7, preventing the withdrawal of the studs. The slotted end23 of the strap is next slipped over the staple 24 and is fastenedthereon by a padlock in the usual manner. To open the sack, it isobvious that the above operation has merely to be reversed-that is tosay, after the padlock has been unlocked and removed and the end of thestrap slipped from over the staple the strap is pulled in the properdirection un-l til the slots 15 register with the slots 1l and 12, thusdisengaging the heads of the studs,

when the flap may be folded back to openV the mouth of the bag.

It will be noted thatwhen the bag is closed and locked the metallicplates 25 engage the under sides of the heads of the studs, thusolfering a stiff and strong resistance against the withdrawal of thelatter through the slots,

and said plates in turn are firmly and rigidly' supported on each sideof the studs by the clips 16, the whole forming a strong, secure, andunyielding lock or fastening.

When the sack is open, the apertured heads of the studs may be engagedby the usual rods or hooks employed on the racks conlinonly used in thepost-ollice service for suspending the bags in an open position for thereception of the mail-matter precisely in the same manner as the stapleson the service mail-bag are engaged and which the apertured studs takethe place of.

I have shown and described the strap as being made of leather; but itwill be readily understood by those skilled in the art that the sainemay be made of metal, the end of the strap being hinged to fold back onthe staple in a well-known manner.

In Figs. 7 and 8 of the drawings I have illustrated sli ghtlylmodifiedIn eaus of movably securing the strap to the flap 2, whereby themetallic clips 16 are dispensed with. Referring to Fig. 7, the numeral 2indicates the flap, and 13 the strap, constructed in every respect inthe manner before described. The strap is indicated by dotted lines.-Strips 26, of leather or other similar or suitable material, are rivetedat their opposite ends to the Hap 2, opposite the slots 11, said stripsbeing provided with slots 27 of the same size and shape as the slots 11and registeringwith the latter. The strips 26 constitute strap-guidesand are arranged tranversely of the strap, as shown, and the latterpasses between said strips and the flap. In order to prevent the stripsfrom binding or pinching the strap, and thus render it difcult to movethe latter, distancepieces 28 are interposed between the ends of thestrips and the flap, between which the strap may freely move and whichoperate to raise the strips from the l'lap, so that they will not clampthe latter.

In Fig. 8 I have illustrated a still further modification,wherein thestrap-guidingmetal clips 16 are dispensed with and vertical slits orincisions 29 are made in the Hap 2 on each side of the slots Il, saidslits being slightly longer than the width of the strap, thus formingstrap-guides composed of strips or bands 30, that are integral with theflap 2. The strap is secured and retained in position by inserting itbeneath the strips or bands 80, or, in other words, between said stripsor bandsand the inner side of the flap.

In the arrangements shown in both Figs. 7 and 8 of the drawings theoperation of the device is precisely the same as that before deAscribed.

Having described my invention, what I claim is- 1. The combination witha mailbag, of a ap for closing the end thereof carrying a plurality oflocking-studs, each of said studs comprising a flat shank havingoppositelyextending arms at one end riveted to the iiap, and terminatingat its other end in an apertured head, said heads being adapted to beprojected through slots formed in the opposite edges of the mouth of thebag, a lockingstrap disposed between the edges of the mouth of the bagand having keyhole-slots for engaging the headed studs, and meansforlockingthe strap against endwise movement, substantially asdescribed.

2. The combination With a mail-bag, of a flap for closing the endthereof carrying a plurality of headed locking-studs arranged to beprojected through slots formed in the attached edge of the iiap and theopposite edge of the mouth of the bag, U-shaped clips riveted to theflap on opposite sides of the slots in the iiap, a strap movablydisposed Within said clips and provided with keyhole-slots for engagingthe headed studs, and means for locking said strap against endwisemovement, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a mail-bag, of a embracing the enlarged portionof one keyhole-slot and the end of the slitted portion of the adjacentkeyhole-slot, and means for locking said strap against endwise movement,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing Witnesses.

- ALONZO W. FRANK.

Witnesses:

WM. T. MARSH, H. C. BoL'roRs.

